Finlay is a masculine given name, and also a surname. The given name is represented in Scottish Gaelic as Fionnlagh.

• Finlay Calder, Scottish rugby player
• Finlay Crerar, Royal Air Force Officer
• Finlay Crisp (1917–1984), Australian academic and political scientist
• Finlay Currie (1878–1968), Scottish actor
• Finlay Freundlich (1885–1964), astronomer
• Finlay Jackson (1901–1941), cricketer and rugby union player
• Finlay Macdonald (minister), Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland
• Finlay MacDonald (musician) (born 1978), Scottish bagpiper
• Finlay MacDonald (politician, born 1866) (died 1948), Canadian Member of Parliament for Cape Breton South, Nova Scotia
• Finlay MacDonald (politician, born 1923) (died 2002), Canadian senator
• Finlay J. MacDonald, Scottish journalist
• Finlay McNaughton Young (1852–1916), Canadian Senator
• Finlay Mickel, Scottish skier
• Finlay Speedie, Scottish footballer
• Finlay Tarling (born 2006), Welsh cyclist for Israel Premier Tech Academy
• Starsmith, British songwriter and music producer born as Finlay Dow-Smith

• Fionnla Dubh mac Gillechriosd, 15th-century Scotsman
• Fionnlagh MacCailein (died 1419), Scottish bishop
• Findláech of Moray, Macbeth's father, and possible ancestor of the Finlay surname, and its variants

• Alan Gordon Finlay, (1890–1959), British engineer and inventor
• Alex Finlay (1887–1963), Australian unionist and Senator
• Alec Finlay (born 1966), Scottish artist
• Alexander Struthers Finlay (1807–1886), Scottish Liberal Party politician
• Brogan Finlay (born 2002), Northern Irish-American professional wrestler
• Carlos Finlay (1833–1915), Cuban doctor who first identified mosquitoes as a disease carrier
• Charles Coleman Finlay (born 1964), American science fiction and fantasy writer
• Chase Finlay (born 1990), New York City Ballet dancer
• Fit Finlay (born 1958), Dave "Fit" Finlay, Northern Irish professional wrestler
• David Finlay (VC) (1893–1916), Scottish recipient of the Victoria Cross
• David Finlay (wrestler) (born 1993), German-born Northern Irish-American professional wrestler
• David White Finlay (1840–1923), Scottish physician and yachtsman
• Donald Finlay (1909–1970), British athlete
• Dr. Finlay, fictional character created by author A. J. Cronin
• Erwin Finlay-Freundlich (1885–1964), German astronomer and businessman
• Ethan Finlay (born 1990), American soccer player
• Fergus Finlay (born 1950), Irish political figure
• Frank Finlay (1926–2016), British stage, film and television actor
• Harold John Finlay (1901–1951), New Zealand palaeontologist and conchologist
• Garfield Finlay (1893–1958), Australian WW1 flying ace
• George Finlay (1799–1875), British historian of classical and post-classical Greece
• Graham Finlay (1936–2018), New Zealand boxer
• Ian Hamilton Finlay (1925–2006), Scottish poet and writer
• Ilora Finlay, Baroness Finlay of Llandaff (born 1949), Welsh physician and member of the House of Lords
• Jack Finlay (1889–1942), Irish hurler and politician
• Jack Finlay (American football) (1921–2014), Los Angeles Rams footballer
• Jaco Finlay (1768–1828), Canadian settler in what is now the US state of Oregon
• Katrina Finlay, character in Monarch of the Glen (TV series)
• Kirkman Finlay (1773–1842), MP, Provost for Glasgow and leading merchant
• Martyn Finlay (1912–1999), New Zealand politician and lawyer
• Mary Lou Finlay (born 1947), Canadian journalist
• Ninian Finlay (1858–1936), Scottish international rugby player
• Peter Warren Finlay, the birthname of Australian writer DBC Pierre
• Richard Finlay (1883–1948), Scottish footballer
• Robert Finlay, 1st Viscount Finlay
• Ross Finlay (1937–2004), Scottish motoring journalist, travel writer, broadcaster and rally co-driver
• Thomas Finlay (Cumann na nGaedheal politician) (1893–1932), Irish Cumann na nGaedhael politician and lawyer
• Thomas Finlay (judge) (1922–2017), Irish Fine Gael politician and former Supreme Court Chief Justice
• Thomas A. Finlay (1848–1940), Irish Catholic priest, economist, philosopher and editor
• Tom Finlay (1987–1967), Irish hurler
• Virgil Finlay (1914–1971), science fiction illustrator
• William Henry Finlay (1849–1924), South African astronomer